numbers crunch. all eyes on the economy as february job numbers are set to be releasedp. no day at the beach. dramatic video shows a pot of dolphins being rescued by sunbathers in brazil. and are you having a bad day? we're going to show you a place where you can channel your anger with a bat. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we're going to begin this morning with a focus on the economy. from wall street to washington, there's going to be a lot of attention to paid to the government's monthly jobs report. that of course is due out later this morning. this as the president reassures voters that he's the best candidate to keep the recovering economy on the right track.

nbc tracie potts joins us with more from washington. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. no question we're seeing more jobs each month supporting this recovery, but president obama's challengers say they can do it better and faster too. economists predict more than 200,000 more new jobs were created last month, not as many as january, but enough to support a robust recovery. the unemployment rate is expected to stay flat. republicans running against president obama don't call that good news. >> i keep waiting to hear something about a fundamental improvement in the job situation in this country. he hasn't been able to do that. >> reporter: creating jobs is a central issue on the campaign trail. >> it's impossible to argue on a supply and demand basis that an additional 800 million barrels would not have an impact. first of all it would keep the money here at home to create jobs at home. >> reporter: today in virginia president obama talks about how to boost manufacturing and rick santorum says he can improve. >> we want you to create jobs

here in america. but if we're going to do that, we need to have not just a market for the jobs -- for the manufactured goods here in america, but we want to be an exporting giant. >> reporter: all the candidates are focused on upcoming primaries in alabama and mississippi. the southern vote may determine who can capture the party's base. mitt romney's leading the latest alabama poll and just got an endorsement from mississippi's governor. asked why governor bryant said, because romney can win. lynn? >> tracie pots in washington, thanks. the senate hasrejected a republican attempt to speed the approval of a pipeline from canada to texas. the vote to attach it to a must pass transportation bill fell just short of the 60 votes required needed to advance. president obama personally called and lobbied senators asking them to oppose it. earlier this year, the president put off the pipeline proposal which would ship oil from canada

down to the gulf coast pending further environmental review. yesterday in the house, members of congress debated a new republican proposal that would restrict abortion rights for women. last night on "the ed show" illinois democrat expressed surprise to host ed schultz that republicans continue to push bills that are clearly unpopular with women across the political spectrum. >> happy international women's day. the republicans are celebrating by doubling down on their war on women. it's just remarkable. but you know what, ed, 60% -- over 60% of voters are against the blunt amendment, the one that said that an employer could deny a woman -- actually anyone, something that -- a health service that went against his moral judgment or his religious beliefs. and that's also true in the

majority of end pents and even 40% of the republicans don't agree wet that. -- agree with that. i think in suburban america that republican women are going to not want to vote for republican who stands for taking away women's rights. i think that women everywhere are going to respond to this. you know, we're not going to go back, ed. >> lean forward with "the ed show" week nights at 8:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc, the place for politics. recent controversial pardons given out by mississippi's former governor near the end of his term have been upheld by the state's highest court. in january during his final days in office, governor haley barbour issued about 200 pardons. the mississippi supreme court was asked to void ten of those pardons on technical grounds including four for inmates serving life sentences for murder. but the court essentially agreed with state lawyers who argued that the court had no authority

to overturn the pardons. here is a look at some of the other news around america today. a mississippi couple called it a complete miracle, they survived after a giant log smashed right through the windshield of their minivan when a logging truck lost its load. the couple say they had just dropped off their kids minutes before the accident. the two inside the van were injured but they are going to make a full recovery. quite a scare for a texas man as an suv went out of control, barreled right into his front yard and came dangerously close to hitting him. the driver was a 16-year-old boy whose mother came forward after hearing about the close call. no word as to why the boy lost control. no charges have been filed. a blinding dust storm combined with fierce winds made the going tough for drivers in albuquerque. state police had to escort vehicles and even shut down parts of i-25. power outages and flight delays were also reported. finally, it's friday.

have you had a long week? all of us v right? let's go to dallas. that's where they're offering that you can get it out of your system, it's called the anger room. is that bill? you can pay to smash things like mannequins, tv sets and furniture, all without getting in trouble. the company claims to have helped 300 people already, including some psychiatrists. they're working out other people's problems. for a look at your national weather we turn to dosile bill karins. >> that's not me. i don't hold it in. whatever is there -- >> you say it, it comes right out. >> passive/aggressive. >> you on the other hand. >> i hold it. >> >> ticking time bomb. here's what we're looking at. yesterday unbelievable beautiful warmth, record highs into new england. it was into the upper 50s in northern maine. usually northern maine still has two feet of snow on the ground this time of year. we didn't have a lot of snow this winter and what was on the

ground melted yesterday. temperature in new york city 71 for the first time this spring season, 74 in d.c. that was t-shirt weather down there. the entire south was enjoying it. it's short lived. you don't expect the warm spells like this time of year to last and this is over with. cold front has sliced through with a little rain with it. temperatures are dropping into the 40s. so you need the jackets once again and even the winter coats in the northern plains with a blast of cold air around minneapolis. it's the typical march chill you would expect early in the morning through many locations. you also need the umbrella in a few spots. just about done with the rain in boston and on cape cod. probably give it another hour or two on the cape. the jersey shore is drying out. snow showers in the adirondacks and maybe if you're driving up north you'll get into a little snow squall activity during the day today. rain is over with in d.c. just showers for the delmarva area. all the way down to norfolk. looks like in the carolinas we're starting to dry it out a little bit. just a little stripe of little light rain through the updated

south carolina. atlanta, light rain. same for alabama. bring your umbrella today everywhere in texas, louisiana, southern portions of alabama and mississippi. the cold front still dragging and stalling out here going to leave us with a damp forecast. the computers are predicting between an inch or two later today around the houston area and then dallas/ft. worth, a lot of heavy rain on and off over the next two days. today's forecast, we're dry, nice in new england, little cooler, obviously, all the wet weather is down here in the deep south. lynn, weekend forecast not looking too bad. a few damp spots. details coming up. >> thanks so much. also coming up, greece says it's good. your chance to buy rock and roll stock. and the sale of a house that starred in a popular movie. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, buzzer beaters, double overtime and could this have been the last game for dwight howard in a magic jersey? you're watching "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] drinking a smoothie with no vegetable nutrition?

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welcome back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. here are some of the top stories making news this morning. six world powers meeting in vienna say diplomacy, not war, is the way to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. the u.s., england, france and germany were joined by russia and china in urging talks ahead of meeting with iranian diplomats. according to an israel newspaper while president obama was meeting earlier this week israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu israel asked the u.s. for bunker-buster bombs to improve its ability to attack iran's underground nuclear sites. a white house spokesman denied that report. changes are being made to both coke and pepsi on the way they make the caramel coloring used in their soda. this is all a result of a california law requiring drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens carrying a cancer warning label. in paris a smoky fire caused the evacuation of the famous

plaz van dome, the center of luxury in the city. an underground parking lot fire reportedly cost $6 million worth of damage to expensive cars. that has to hurt. a new viral video from brazil shows 30 stranded dolphins who were pushed toward shore by a strong current but beachgoers chipped in and pulled the dolphins by the tail safely back to deeper water. ja last night president obama and the first lady kind at a restaurant in washington, d.c., with three very lucky supporters. they were winners of an on-line contest. while the campaign has done this twice before, it's the first time mrs. obama has taken part. now here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,907 after adding 70 points yesterday. the s&p gained 13 points. the nasdaq nudged up 34. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, the nikkei climbed 160 points while in hong kong, the hang seng was up 185. this morning, greece's ongoing debt drama took a dramatic turn away from a

disastrous default. after convincing enough investors to take a loss on government bonds, greece has insured it will receive its $172 billion european bailout. greece needed 90% participation in the critical bond swap and as of this morning, it had secured upwards of 85%. athens says legislative maneuvering will push total participation above 95%. good news out of greece and a fresh report showing china's inflation fell sharply last month drove asian markets higher. yesterday, news that families took on more debt at the end of last year helped offset a rise in weekly jobless claims. as mentioned earlier, the february jobs report is due out this morning and it will be watched closely by wall street and main street. more than 200,000 financially strapped households will see their mortgages reduced thanks to a side deal bank of america has struck with the government as part of its

settlement over alleged foreclosure abuses. coach added 5% on upbeat sales report. slow growth in february is eating into mcdonald's bottom line. shares dipped 3%. rare earth miner molycorp is buying canada's neo materials technologies for $1.3 billion. fender guitar fans will soon be able to buy a piece of rock 'n' roll history. filed for ipo to the tune of $200 million. one lucky buyer has landed a piece of movie history. look familiar? that of course, the "home alone" house, has been sold for just over $1.5 million. right there in illinois. the capitals rally in overtime, bulls stumble against the magic and let the peyton manning sweepstakes begin. plus, a georgetown basket forces double overtime in a big east clash with cincinnati. who came out on top? your first look at sports is

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welcome back to foik. i'm lynn berry. in sports, last night the orlando magic marched into chicago and snapped the bull's eight-game winning streak. here's nbc's fred roggin. >> good morning. with the trade deadline less than a week away, dwight howard is likely now to his final four games as a member of the orlando magic. against the bulls this is the reason why everybody wants howard.

noah went one way, he went the other. orlando up five at the half. howard can also run the floor. took a long pass and threw it it down. 29 and 18 boards. in the end it wasn't howard but ryan anderson with a dagger. a three for the lead and the magic won it 99-94. couple great finishes in college hoops. overtime between georgetown and cincinnati. time winding down, henry sims got the lay-up to fall and we're on to double o.t. with a name like cashmere wright, you know he has a soft touch. the floater for the lead in the final seconds. cincy advances to the semis. 72-70. to vegas where jamal franklin hit the jack pot. they beat boise state, 65-62. hockey, the devils kovalchuk is living up to his $100 million contract. hat trick against the islanders, sunk the isles 5-1. alex ovechkin having the worst season of his career but appears to be turning around just in time for a playoff run.

scored the game winner in o.t. against the lightning. second overtime goal in the last five games. caps won it 3-2. peyton manning says he hopes to decide on a new team within the next week. one of his servers at a steak house inorth carolina also needs a new job. manning's $740 million bill already included gratuity but he dropped a 200 tip on top of that. the waiter thought that was pretty cool. he posted this picture online. not so cool said the restaurant's manager, fired the server for violating the company's private policy. he'll now join peyton in the unemployment line. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. nor force look at the weather, here's nbc's meteorologist bill karins with your forecast. downer. >> i know. >> right? >> $200. >> he was showing that peyton manning was being a stand-up guys. >> [ inaudible ]. >> i heard that. >> a lot of celebrities have bad names. >> yeah. >> competing restaurant will

hire the guy. good morning, everyone. overnight we had rain move through areas of the east coast. it's still on its way out. some areas still need the umbrella today like cape cod or down in the delmarva. during the daylight hours we're going to be just fine. it's going to be cooler because the cold front has gone through. 30s and 40s for this area from the northeast to the mid-atlantic isn't bad. if you're north of the mass pike know you may get an inch or so. the heavy rain threat continues all weekend long here. we track it from dallas to houston, san antonio, austin, everyone is included. the southeast will dry out a little bit on saturday but the storm system lingers here over texas on saturday. we have wet weather in the northwest and by the time sunday arrives the rains begins to spread northward. same for minneapolis, wet weather on the east coast while the east coast will get to smile and enjoy another beautiful weekend. >> thanks so much. why eddie murphy's tarnished box office reputation may take

another hit this weekend. it costs tens of millions and is about a guy from the past in outer space. is it launching this weekend to the top of the box office heap? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. you have plans, moments you're looking forward to. what if they were stolen from you? by alzheimer's. this cruel disease is the nation's sixth leading cause of death, affecting more than 5 million americans. the alzheimer's association has been behind every major advancement and continues to lead the fight against alzheimer's. we won't rest until we have a cure. join us. go to alz.org.

welcome back to "first look." and england's when elizabeth kicked off her diamond jubilee tour in one of the cultural centers. she was joined by prince philip and grand daughter-in-law kate. itn reports. >> reporter: this was lester's way of welcoming the queen, indian dancing in english colors

in the center of the city that in terms of ethnic diversity has changed during any other during the queen's 60-year reign. the duchess of cambridge, her first taste of a jubilee tour. the duke of edden borough had to show her what to do at times. but outside the cathedral she was so caught up in chatting to well wishers her secretary ha to remind her not to keep the queen waiting. the schoolchildren who presented the royal bouquets so excited they left kate in mid conversation told me why they had been chosen. >> i didn't know any english and now -- >> your english sounds pretty good to me. >> yeah. >> reporter: you can really feel it that lester sees it as an honor to be the first stop on this jubilee tour. they want to show off their multi cultural, multi ethnic city, they get to celebrate with

the queen and the double whammy of having the duchess along too. as hundreds said good-bye, there will be many more stops for the queen as she crisscrosses the uk, but none quite like this. itv news, in lester. and it's time for your first look at entertainment news. according to the experts while the reigning top film is poised to triumph again doesn't mean there won't be an interesting weekend at the box office. dr. seuss "the lorax" stunned hollywood last weekend taking in $70 million and expectations call for a number that's pretty high once again, with about $40 million. >> love the sequel. >> part two coming up. how about this one, "john carter" talked about this sci-fi drama based on a novel about a civil war hero transported to a mars-like planet reportedly cost a quarter of a billion dollars

to make. >> ouch. >> "water world". >> should come in second taking in as much as $30 million. that's not going to pay the bills. the r-rated debut "silent house" stars elizabeth olsen, it's a story presented in real-time and it appears to be a single uninterrupted shot. fans could drive it to take the low teen million. >> we're such babies we would never see that and, finally, there is the eddie murphy comedy "a thousand words" shelved for three years. reviews have been nasty and expectations for this one are real low. >> straight to video. why bothser? >> pretty brutal. i saw a preview. i'm not giving my strong endorsement. >> 15 minutes of your life you would like back. >> i am. three years, not long enough. i'm lynn berry, this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early" with willie geist starts right now.

as the republican race for president swings south, mitt romney says he feels like he's playing an away game when he runs down there. what does it say that the likely nominee feels like a visitor around the base of the party's support? republicans in congress this morning accusing president obama of going out of his way now to kill jobs by again in a vote yesterday lobbying against the keystone pipeline. the question is, is the president being held hostage by environmentalists as republicans charge he is? and jay-z sets off a debate on the floor of the florida state legislature. the question is, did his lyrics to "99 problems" swing a key amendment there? it's way too early for this. good morning. i'm willie geist. this is "way too early." look i